-Konoha 11 mysteriously disappears, and all that's left of them are memories but, when Sasuke goes to investigate, he meets up with the pink-haired rebellion empress. And what's this? Naruto's got amnesia! OMG! What the Hell is going on?
Yes! Finally! A new chapter! Yay! I'm so sorry it took so long, but I had to work on my other fanfictions. And since this one didn't have as many reviews as the others do, I thought not too many people read this, so I worked more on the others. Sorry… But please enjoy! Oh, and this chapter is named after Dream (now DRM)'s W・h・y.
Chapter Eight
W・h・y
"So . . . what are you going to do, Sakura? I mean, Naruto might actually wake up. You should be by his side when he does…"
Sakura sighed, throwing back her head. "Honestly . . . I don't know . . . but I need to finish this recon mission. If I don't, I might be endangering over hundreds of lives. I don't want to do that, but . . ." She glanced over at her brother. She knew that Ashitaka would do anything to get her away from Sasuke, and the change in Naruto's condition gave him the perfect opportunity. She knew he'd take advantage of that. After all, his face practically lit up once he learned of this new information.
"Ashitaka-sama, Empress-san," Sai had said. "Some of Lady Eboshi's men have reported that the Land of Rain is planning on going to war with the Land of Grass."
"What?" the Emishi siblings asked, completely stupefied by this.
"But I thought the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass were allies!" Ino added.
"Yes, but that was while the ex-Akatsuki member Konan was leading it." Sai explained.
"So . . ." Sakura asked, "Konan's not the leader of it anymore? What happened? How did she lose control?"
"A feudal lord's son, Naraku[1], and his cronies seized control of Amegakure and ran Konan and her followers out of the village. Right now, Joo Heika has sent them to the Land of Waves for safety."
Sakura nodded her head. "Good… If Konan is killed, I don't think it'd be easy taking control of her followers. We need her alive especially since she knows more about Madara then anyone else in the Hanzoku."
"Oh, and there is one other thing, Empress-san," Sai said, "Though it may shock you."
"What is it, Sai?" The kunoichi was definitely curious now that Sai seemed so hesitant to tell her.
"Etto… Naruto is . . . well, his condition has changed. There's an alteration in his brainwaves. Joo Heika believes he might wake up soon."
"What?" Sakura's eyes widened, tears forming in her emerald eyes. "He might wake up? You're not joking?"
Sai shook his head, a true smile on his face. "No, Empress-san. Naruto is really going to wake up soon."
"That's great!" Sakura sighed, Ino putting a hand on her should to steady her. "That's really great…"
Ashitaka also had the same reaction except he kept it from showing. Instead, he used it to his benefit. "Then," he started to say, "Sakura, you should go back to the base. You should be with him when he wakes up."
"But, Oniisama, what about the mission?"
"Daijōbu… I'll take care of it. You should go back."
However, Sakura stayed wary of her brother's unusually kind words. "Oniisama," she said, "I'm scared… Are you sure you have no other reason for wanting me to go back to the Hanzoku campsite?"
"Sore douyuu imi desu ka?"
"Oniisama, I know you… You just don't want me to be near Sasuke, don't you? That's why you want me to go home… You just—"
"Sakura, I didn't make this decision just because of personal reasons." Ashitaka snapped. "You've been waiting for Naruto to wake up from his coma for the past year. Now that there's a chance that he might wake up, are you sure you can keep focused on the mission?"
Sakura didn't answer. She knew the game her brother was playing, and she knew what he was trying to get at, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of winning. "Oniisama," she said, "If you're only doing this for the reason I think you're doing this for, I won't forgive you."
"You should go back to him," Ashitaka tried again.
Sakura glared at him. "Leave me alone, okay? I have enough to worry about."
Ashitaka didn't say anything else and just went back into the building.
"Sakura… He just—"
"Ino, please…" Sakura's voice trembled. "I just want to be alone…"
Ino nodded her head and whispered, "Okay," while taking Sai with her. "Come on, Sai."
They followed into the ballroom and, once the footsteps went out of earshot, Sakura sighed. "What am I going to do?" she asked of herself.
"Well, this is a rare sight… The Empress of the Hanzoku, unable to decide what to do… What a beautiful day…"
✿。.:**:.。✿
"Where's—"
"She wants some alone time." Ino snapped at the Irontown Ambassador. "I suggest you respect her wishes and back off."
"What?" Ashitaka was completely appalled. Not only was he older than her, but he was also her superior—the Empress's brother and the Hanzoku's Minister of Defense and Military Affairs. How dare she speak to him like this! "Ino, I know both you and my sister may think that I'm only keeping her away from Sasuke for my own selfish reasons, but every precaution I'm taking—everything I'm doing—it's all for Sakura's sake…"
Ino clicked her tongue, and the fury in her eyes showed her disbelief. "No… I know you, Ashitaka. You're not the kind of guy to give in easily, you're not one who shirks his responsibilities, and you certainly wouldn't let your sister shirk hers. You have a completely different reason for wanting her to leave, and I know . . . it's because you don't want her anywhere near Sasuke. Am I correct?"
For a while, the two Hanzoku members didn't say anything; they just glared at each other. But after a few minutes, Ino's eyes softened a bit.
"You can't continue to control her life like this…" she said. "And you can't be the only guy in her life. You can't let this go on… She loves him… Let her at least have a shot at happiness, huh?"
But Ashitaka's eyes didn't soften. "Think what you will, but I will never allow her to be with the bastard who broke her heart more than once." And he walked away, leaving an infuriated Ino who clenched her fists.
"He's not the only one who broke her heart…" she said softly.
Ashitaka stopped in his tracks when he heard that but, nevertheless, he didn't look back and continued on his way.
"Ino, you okay?" Sai asked.
The Yamanaka crossed her arms. "Ugh! I swear, he's just as stubborn as Naruto! Now I know where Sakura gets it from!"
✿。.:**:.。✿
"Madame Koko, what are you talking about?" Sakura asked, trying to keep her cover. "Hanzoku Empress? Why, there's no such thing. Perhaps you've heard one too many rumors. And besides, if there was such a thing called the 'Empress of the Hanzoku,' it wouldn't be me. I—"
"Oh, stow it. Madara already knows." Koko said. "So, unless you want your brother to be arrested for trespassing and executed for high crimes against Liao, speak as your true self, Ha—ru—no Sa—ku—ra."
"So . . . I'm found out, eh?" the discovered kunoichi let out a wary chuckle. "So . . . what's going to happen to me? Surely, you're not going to let the rebellion Empress go free, are you?"
"If that had been my intention in the first place then I wouldn't have told you I knew your identity."
"True… So then . . . you have another dark intention?"
"No, of course not." Koko chuckled. "I told you that I'm only looking for my childhood friend—"
"Whom I told you I've not seen."
"Yes… However, even though I don't have any hidden agenda, Madara sure does."
Sakura's eyes narrowed then. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.
"I'm sure you're acquainted with Uchiha Sasuke, no?"
"Well, I'm not obliged to tell you that until after you tell me the reason why you're approaching me like this, Madame." Sakura said, her eyes never leaving the heiress for fear of being ambushed.
Whew! Finally done! Long chapter too… Oh, and because I haven't updated in a while, here's a list of definitions to help jog your memory a bit.
Arigato = thank you
-dono = Mr. (form of address used for official letters and business letters and in letters to inferiors; also used when addressing someone of a different rank)
Chuutai = middle truth
Daijōbu = don't worry
Doko = where?
Dou shita no = what's the matter?
Eiya = ugh; damn; ah; my God
Etto = let me see; well; errr...
Godaime Hokage = Fifth Hokage
Gomen, gomen = sorry, sorry
Gomen ne = sorry
Gomennasai = I'm sorry
Hanzoku = rebels
Hora = hey
Imouto-san = [younger] sister; [younger] sister-in-law (honorific use)
Itai = ow; ouch
Itai desu = it hurts; that hurts!
Kami/Kami-sama = God
Kinnouka = loyalists
Kougou Heika = Her/Your Majesty the Empress; Her/Your Highness
Kojuutome = [elder] sister-in-law
Kojuutome ha koko de nani wo shite iru no desu ka = what are you [sister-in-law] doing here?
Nande = why?
Nani = what?
O genki de = good luck
Onegai = please
Oniisama = older brother
Potsu-potsu = drip-drop; pitter-patter
Shisou = master
Shimatta = damn it
Sore douyuu imi desu ka = what do you mean [by it]?
Yamero = quit it; stop it!
[1] = if any of you watch Inuyasha, Naraku's the main antagonist during the story. For this fanfiction, I just put him in for an explanation of Konan's sudden loss of power. I don't think he'll have any major role in the story . . . yet.
Thank you for reading this chapter! I'll try to get the next chapter up earlier, but I can't promise anything else! Please review!
